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In the second quarter of this year, the satellite will be launched by Arianespace’s Vega rocket. The satellite will be placed into sun-synchronous orbit about 670km above the Earth’s surface.

A sun-synchronous orbit means that the satellite will cross the same latitudes at the same time. That means that the same spot on the Earth being observed will have consistent lighting as the satellite orbits the Earth, making it easier to see changes over time.

“We are especially proud of once again being able to work with Vietnam, following the successful launches of Vinasat-1 and -2 communications satellites,” Arianespace Chairman and CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall said in a statement.

“With this contract, the fourth we signed for Vega, Arianespace clearly shows that it can offer customers a launch service perfectly adapted to this type of mission. We would also like to thank Astrium and Vietnam for placing their trust in us. We are very pleased to be working once more with Astrium, after having launched five of their satellites during the last four months of 2012.”

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